Between 2005 and 2008 the French artist Armelle Caron created a series of graphic anagrams based on various city maps.

First she simplified the maps and translated all urban elements (buildings, blocks, parks) into hundreds of monochrome blocks. Then she deconstructed the maps and organized all blocks in a new system according to their shapes and sizes.

The result was quite intriguing and last year Armelle took the project a step further and created a three-dimensional version for the exhibition Villes en Morceaux (Cities in Pieces) at the Cité de l'architecture et du Patrimoine in Paris.

Based on a map of Paris, she produced 3500 small pieces of wood, each piece corresponding to a block on the city map. Armelle organized workshops with children and encouraged them to 'take ownership' of the forms and use their creativity to compose new cities.

Not surprisingly, some playful and imaginative city structures emerged during the exhibition.